An antenna appropriate for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by global positioning system (GPS) satellites is known. It is desirable to incorporate the positioning capabilities of the GPS into an automobile. The known antenna, for example M/A-COM part ANPC 128B-N-7-2, receive a 1.51 Ghz radio frequency signal and launches the received signal onto a cable to a coaxial connector termination. A printed circuit board (PCB) in the automobile receives the RF signal to process it further down to an intermediate frequency (IF). The IF is then launched to another PCB populated with digital circuitry having GPS intelligence for interpretation of the signal into positioning information. Disadvantageously, the transmission of the RF signal through the cable injects introduces noise and generates loss, which can degrade the signal RF prior to processing. Degradation of the RF signal has a direct impact in reducing the sensitivity and the effectiveness of the overall system. The known GPS solution also requires relatively large packaging and is expensive to design and maintain at the system level due to the number of functional modules that comprises the overall system. The problem is exacerbated in an automobile because the standard form factor of a passenger automobile, the desirable physical size of the automobile, and the desirability of passenger space limit the available "on board" space for functional components. Once a system is installed in an automobile, because it is aesthetically desirable to hide the automobile's functional systems, access to the system's component parts is also limited. The problem is further exacerbated by the difficulty in installing coaxial cables and connectors in a vehicle. Coaxial cable is not a standard component for the automobile industry and degrades GPS performance but also causes coupling of unwanted signals to other electronic components such as the radio. Much of the wiring in vehicles is now implemented as a data bus.
There is a need, therefore, for a smaller, more efficient, and less expensive GPS system especially packaged to connect directly to standard vehicle wiring harnesses and data buses.